DA submits 7000 pages of supplementary evidence to strengthen our case against Public Protector

21 February 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has today submitted over 7000 pages of supplementary evidence to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thandi Modise, to strengthen our motion for the removal of Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane.

With over 7000 pages to support our motion, the DA hopes that Parliament will act swiftly by establishing an Ad Hoc Committee for Mkhwebane’s removal proceedings. There has been mounting evidence and continuous blunders to support our calls for Mkhwebane’s removal since the submission of our motion.

Some of her notable blunders include:

The Constitutional Court found that she acted in bad faith and was not honest with the High Court regarding her investigation process in the Reserve Bank matter.

She jumped to the defense of former President Jacob Zuma by laying criminal charges against former Public Protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, for releasing the transcript of her interview with him.

In late 2019, the North Gauteng High Court dismissed her appeal to overturn Judge Ronel Tolmay’s scathing judgment lamenting her handling of the Estina Dairy Farm matter and the report thereof.

She was also recently reported to have celebrated her 50th birthday party with individuals involved in state capture – she chose to spend an evening sipping champagne with the very people she should be investigating.

Throughout her tenure as Public Protector, Mkhwebane has time and again demonstrated an inability to conduct her work independently, and has illustrated a poor understanding of both the law, as well as of her mandate as Public Protector. Worse still, Mkhwebane’s actions have caused immeasurable damage to the reputation of the Office of the Public Protector.

In her almost three years in office, Mkhwebane has successfully tarnished the credibility, authority and independence of the Office of the Public Protector.

The DA hopes that the disgraceful chapter that was Mkhwebane’s rule at the helm of a once-proud Chapter 9 institution will soon come to an end, and that we can begin the work to build a strong and capable Public Protector’s office that upholds the rule of law and protects South Africans from state abuses. The DA will not rest till South Africans are given the Public Protector they deserve.

Issued by Natasha Mazzone, Chief Whip of the Official Opposition, 23 February 2020